It has been four years since the Ohio State basketball team made the NCAA Tournament. Captain Bruce Thornton hasn't played meaningful games late in the month of March in his career. After the Buckeyes beat Iowa in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, he will get that chance.
Unfortunately, the Ohio State Buckeyes failed to pull off the upset against TTUN in the second round. Had they been able to do that, they would have been able to push their seeding into a more advantageous position. That win would likely have given them a seven-seed.
Instead, the Buckeyes are likely stuck on the eight or nine-seed line. ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi has Ohio State as an eight-seed taking on TCU. The issue with being an eight seed is that it means they would have to take on a number-one seed in the second round.
The Ohio State basketball team will struggle to make a deep run
Playing against a number-one seed in the second round doesn't bode well for a team that has struggled to hold leads against good teams. Ohio State has already blown a lead to Michigan late in games twice, and they are projected to be a one-seed.
Late losses to Virginia, North Carolina, and Nebraska don't lend much hope that the Buckeyes will go on some Cinderella run to the Final Four. Since Ohio State has already played TTUN three times this season, they will likely be set in a region with Duke, Florida, or Arizona as the number-one seed.
Of those teams, Ohio State has the best chance to pull off an upset over the Wildcats. Arizona is a very good team, though. It would take the Buckeyes playing a borderline perfect game for them to scrape out a victory over whichever number-one seed they would get matched up against.
Of course, this would mean that they would win against whichever nine-seed they would face. Ohio State has played well over the last few weeks, but they still have flaws. Namely, the lack of production from the bench. At least Thornton will get to experience what it's like to play in March Madness, even if it won't be for very long.